Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Newton Township, Pennsylvania

Newton Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Newton township (Lackawanna County, PA) limits: the township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, the Newton Township Zoning Ordinance, with a zoning map and district regulations.

  • Zoning permit issuance is conditioned on a sewage permit (Section 5.12a).
  • Zoning-only topics (lot size, setbacks, height, coverage, occupancy) are answered from this ordinance where the PDF text supports it; otherwise they are left unknown.
  • Source PDF text does not show an effective date on the page itself; the township ordinances page does not state one either.

  “for the purpose of this ordinance, newton township is hereby divided into districts which shall be designated on the zoning map and as follows:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  R-1 rural single-family residential district inside Newton township, PA

  • Purpose statement only; the district's lot, setback, height and coverage limits were not readable.
  • Purpose statement says the district has no public sewer and water.

  “b. r-1 – rural single family residential district: to accommodate low-density single-family detached dwellings on existing arterial and collector roads, with no public sewer and water, and in conjunction with rural agricultural activities.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Published (with conditions) — Zoning district map and district designations for land inside Newton township, PA

    “the boundaries of the districts in which newton township is divided shall be shown upon a map entitled the “newton township zoning map,” which is available on file for public viewing at the newton township municipal building.”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Recreational vehicles that are parked or stored outdoors on land inside Newton township, PA. Does not address RV use on a lot with a permitted principal dwelling or temporary RV use while a home is built.

  • RVs may not be parked or stored on public street right-of-way.
  • Parked or stored RVs must sit behind the front face of the principal building unless screened.
  • Section 5.12 and other rules for on-lot sewage still apply to any RV connected to a system.

  “at no time shall such parked or stored vehicle be occupied or used as a dwelling.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Secondary (accessory) dwelling units inside Newton township, PA, where the zoning district use table lists them

  • Allowed only in zoning districts where the use is listed as a special review.
  • Must meet the standards in the local code.
  • The district use tables were not readable, so the districts that list this use are not identified.

  “secondary dwelling units shall be developed in accordance with the standards [...] set forth in local code and only in those zoning districts where the use is listed as a special review.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Land inside Newton township, PA where a zoning permit is sought for a use that needs on-lot sewage disposal

  • A sewage permit must be obtained before a zoning permit issues.
  • Permit issuing office not confirmed from opened pages.

  “a sewage permit shall be a prerequisite to the issuance of a zoning permit.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  On-lot (non-public) sanitation for land inside Newton township, PA

  • On-lot systems are allowed only when they meet Pennsylvania DEP Title 25, Chapter 73 regulations.
  • A sewage permit is a prerequisite to a zoning permit.

  “any on-lot system proposed shall meet the regulations of the pennsylvania department of environmental protection (dep) found in title 25, chapter 73 of the pennsylvania code.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Newton township, PA

  • The township's Subdivision & Land Development Ordinance is listed on the township ordinances page; the ordinance text itself was not opened.
  • Applicability thresholds and procedure were not verified.

  “subdivision & land development ordinance fee-schedule tree-ordinance-2020-2 ordinance 2022-1 regulating trash disposal”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Newton Township or Lackawanna County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits for construction inside Newton township, PA
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Newton township, PA
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Newton township, PA
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Newton township, PA
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for construction inside Newton township, PA

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.